The device has been praised by figures in the industry, who said it sets the benchmark for new tablets. It is 33% thinner and up to 15% lighter than the original iPad and features the same 9.7-inch LCD screen with Apple's new dual-core A5 processor for a faster performance.

CCS Insight MD Shaun Collins tweeted: ‘Having held and used the iPad 2 now, the figures do not do it justice. Smaller, thinner and lighter, but feels remarkably different.’

His colleague, analyst Ben Wood, tweeted: ‘Hands-on with iPad 2. I was extremely impressed. Sets new benchmark for tablets. Rivals will be dismayed.’

Retail staff were also enthused by the device, which will launch in the UK on 25 March. Jordan Harris, from O2 Cardiff, said: ‘I'll take mine in white! Apple manage to once again make enough minor tweaks to blow away the competition.’

However, Phones 4u marketing chief Russell Braterman said the iPad 2 was ‘evolution’ rather than revolution like its predecessor, adding that Apple would face tough competition from rivals such as RIM and Samsung.